Long has London been a cultural hub of the UK, set in the heart of innovative style and design. Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm McLaren and Carnaby Street, all synonymous with cutting edge couture, conjure images of a fashion scene rife with anarchistic yet simultaneously commercial success. It is perhaps this rich heritage in the world of fashion that also explains why this month, amongst a flourishing British menswear industry, Mayor of London Boris Johnson has launched a new campaign that attempts to support the thriving sector.
Putting it with perhaps an uncharacteristic eloquence, Johnson summarised: “As the birthplace of the three-piece-suit, the trench coat and the bowler hat, London has an unrivalled men’s fashion heritage.
“But our city is still setting the pace, with the emergence of new, exciting, and cutting edge designers.”
And so, as the fashion world’s elite once again flock to showcase their designs at ‘London Collections: Men’ – an enormously successful venture launched in 2012 – as well as exhibitions such as ‘Hello, My Name is Paul Smith’ at the Design Museum that seek to pay homage to British talent, the success of this burgeoning sector looks set to eclipse womenswear by 2016, combining to represent up to £10 million and thousands of jobs within the overall UK economy.
As part of this new initiative, Johnson has also unveiled a competition to find the capital’s most stylish postcode. Running in conjunction with London Collections: Men, the London Home of Menswear competition will offer prizes including a made-to-measure three-piece suit from resurrected couturiers E.Tautz, dapper shoes from Mr. Hare, as well as tickets for the covetable Paul Smith exhibition for runners up.
All proving beyond reasonable doubt that fashion truly does begin at home. 
